DISH Files Verified Retransmission Complaint

Today, DISH Network L.L.C. filed a Verified Retransmission Complaint asserting, among other things, that in direct violation of Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules mandated by the STELA Reauthorization Act of 2014 (STELAR), Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. is refusing to negotiate with DISH for retransmission consent for Sinclair's stations unless DISH also agrees to allow Sinclair to negotiate for 32 stations that Sinclair does not control and are in the same markets as Sinclair stations. The retransmission consent contract between DISH and Sinclair expires tonight at 11:59 p.m. EDT. DISH also charges that in violation of FCC regulation, Sinclair has assumed a unilateral stance to its negotiations, including the refusal